Long Day

I got up and baked muffins, but I couldn't eat any because I had to go to the hospital for a fasting blood test. By the time I got to work I was SHAKY. I ate a muffin and Christie was making an Egg McMuffin run already so I had some protein too. I definitely felt better afterward, but It seemed like all day all I felt like doing was eating!

I even went out to dinner with people. Almost all of them also went out to a Club to see a band, but I am here instead. I hadn't written today AND we have to go to the American Legion for a breakfast tomorrow.

The Legion is sponsoring a breakfast for the orchestra. They donated all the food and are cooking and everything. All the kids had to do was sell tickets and some will help out with cleanup. The orchestra gets to keep 100% of the funds! The Legion really wants to support the orchestra for this trip. This is the only orchestra in the state invited to this international music festival and THEY are the ones chosen to play on the beach at Normandy on the anniversary of the invasion. I really hope Michael gets to go, but as far as I see it right now it is hopeless. Even with all the fund raising it will still be almost $3000 per kid. Also Michael is second chair cellist, but would get to be section leader on the trip because Jake, the section leader, is in another orchestra that is also touring Europe at the same time and that trip is paid. Michael is 2nd chair to a kid who is so accomplished he has been invited to play in some ensembles with Joshua Bell this year. It would be such a wonderful experience for Michael to get to go to France with the orchestra and be section leader. Sigh....

That's what kind of happened to Emily on the Hawaii trip. The concertmaster had a gig with the Indianapolis Symphony that week so Emily got to be concertmaster and do the solos. I think it was a good experience for her. That is part of the hazard of being in Bloomington. When is most other small towns you would probably be the best player, here you are either with students who have actually come from their countries to come to IU and study music or you have students like Jake, whose parents are both professional musicians and started playing the cello with some of the world's best teachers when he was a toddler. Of course, it is possible I also wouldn't be able to have such great teachers for my children in other communities either, but the amount of the budget that goes for lesson! Oy!

Happy today for a nice little shopping trip to Dollar General. It's not as scary as the evil empire and I can stock up. I have irrational fears of not having extras of stuff like tissues, dish soap, fabric softener and detergent. Dollar General eases my anxieties. Each item does sometimes cost a little more, but it is worth it to not have to face the crowds and scary stuff at the evil empire.